1998 Harley Davidson Buell S3T Thunderbolt Motorcycle 1203 Thunderstorm Engine

Description

up for your bidding fun is this

Harley Davidson Buell 1203cc S3 ThunderBolt with a thunderstorm engine, howa inverted front forks and pro race system. Super Clean Very Low Mile Tube Frame Buell. 25,812 Miles and the Bike is Still Like New. It comes with carbon fiber fenders, arbon fiber helmet, hard saddle bags, airing which was moved forward 2 inches, urn Signals, Fresh Radial Tubeless Tires on upgraded Magnesium wheels that can be plugged on the road in an emergency unlike spoke wheels with tubes that will leave you stranded (the original alloys wheels are included in this auction). No issues and ready to go. Carburetor conversion already done. Buell performance 1203cc Tunderstorm engine. Vance and Hines High Performance Exhaust. Smooth Rubber Mounted Engine. Showa inverted front forks, uells Famous Giant Front 6-Piston Caliper Disk Brake for Some Serious Stopping Power. 50+MPG. Clean and Quiet Chain Drive converted from belt drive. Fully Adjustable Suspension Front and Rear. Large Factory Front Fairing to keep the elements off you. Starts Easy and Runs Perfect. The most fun you will ever have on a bike. Clean and Clear AZ Title Ready to Go. All fluids Just Changed. Amazing as it sounds there are no leaks. The paint is almost perfect but there is a scratch on fairing and on the gas tank. Please see pictures. This bike got everything that incorporates the best you can get, nverted front end, arburetor, tandard ignition and the hot-rod Thunderstorm engine. It's the perfect bike. Unfortunately there aren't tens of thousands of these things, s less than 5,000 of them.

Model: Buell S3 Thunderbolt Year: 1998 Category: Allround Engine and transmission Displacement: 1203.00 ccm (73.41 cubic inches) Engine type: V2, our-stroke Power: 86.00 HP (62.8 kW)) @ 6000 RPM Torque: 107.00 Nm (10.9 kgf-m or 78.9 ft.lbs) @ 5400 RPM Top speed: 210.0 km/h (130.5 mph) Valves per cylinder: 2 Cooling system: Air Gearbox: 5-speed Transmission type, final drive: Belt Chassis, uspension, rakes and wheels Front brakes: Single disc Rear brakes: Single disc Physical measures and capacities Dry weight: 204.0 kg (449.7 pounds) Power/weight ratio: 0.4216 HP/kg Seat height: 749 mm (29.5 inches) If adjustable, owest setting. Other specifications Starter: Electric Ride the Thunderbolt! That is the only way to understand this motorcycle. I had looked at Buell motorcycles, specially the top of the line S3 Thunderbolt, lmost every time I visited my local Harley-Davidson dealer, ut I never understood these motorcycles until I finally took a test ride.

That is what the Buell motorcycles are all about: the ride. There are fancier, lainer, ostlier, heaper, rettier, omelier, aster, lower, ighter, eavier, igger, nd smaller motorcycles available, ut in all my years of riding I have never ridden anything like a Buell. That also seems to be the opinion of the Buell owners I have talked to, ncluding those who have owned a variety of expensive (read Italian) sport bikes.

Speaking of which, arley's investment in Buell appears to be paying off. Last year (1998), uell outsold all of the other "specialty sport bikes" (a term which, believe, xcludes the regular production of the Japanese Big Four) in the U.S. except Ducati, ho managed to stay in first place by the slimmest of margins. This year, uell expects to outsell Ducati and take over the number one spot.

Like all Buells, ut unlike most other sport and sport-touring bikes, he engine of the S3 is left open to view. There is no bodywork to hide that big powerplant. The visible V-twin motor is probably the easiest way to identify a Buell American Motorcycle. In a world of look-alike sport bikes, othing else looks like a Buell.

Because I am a fan of the sport-touring concept, he Thunderbolt S3T is the Buell for me. All Thunderbolts feature a frame mounted sport fairing designed to protect the rider and gas tank (without obscuring the motor), /p> Neat features of the Thunderbolt include a chrome-moly tubular perimeter frame, igital electronic hydraulic self-adjusting valve lifters, hain drive, tainless steel header pipes, ully adjustable suspension with inverted front forks and a rear mono shock which operates in extension, luminum arc swingarm, Z" rated radial tubeless tires, uperb brakes, ompletely sealed maintenance-free battery, alogen headlight with an adjustment knob in the fairing, xcellent fairing mounted mirrors (you actually see the traffic behind you, nstead of your arms), uropean passing lamp flasher (a little trigger on the left handlebar controls that flashes the high beam), nd folding footpegs. About all that is missing is self-canceling turn signals The rider's seating position quite comfortable. An average size rider is postioned in a relaxed position with a slight froward lean. It is better, n my opinion, han the seating position on a BMW R 1100RS sport-tourer, r a Triumph Thunderbird Sport (bikes with which it might reasonably be compared). The location of the rider's footpegs, n particular, s very good. So is the height and reach of the touring handlebar. The layout of the handlebar controls and switches is conventional, nd easy to learn.

Mounted in the dash are a large tach and speedo, lus a surprisingly useful quartz clock. Also on the dash are a variety of idiot lights, ncluding a handy low fuel warning light which illuminates when .4 gallon of petrol remains. The large 5.4 gallon fuel tank means 225-265 miles (on average) before the low fuel warning light comes on. This is outstanding range, reater than that offered by most luxury touring bikes.

It is no secret that Buell motorcycles have had something of a "kit bike" reputation. After all, ric Buell originally started building them in his garage. (Bill Harley and the Davidson brothers started the same way, ack in 1903.) Everyone agreed that they were a blast to ride, /p> Before founding Buell American Motorcycles, ric Buell worked as an engineer for Harley-Davidson. Based on what I have read about Eric Buell, he most basic ingredients of his design philosophy seem to be centralization of mass, ow unsprung weight, nd frame rigidity. Let's take a quick look at these concepts, ecause they are central to why a Buell is so much fun to ride.

I am no engineer, ut I am familiar with the benefits of mass centralization. With the weight concentrated in the center, nstead of out at the ends, ill respond more quickly. This is why Buell concentrates the weight of the heavy components of the motorcycle, he engine/transmission, uffler, as tank, ear monoshock, nd battery near the center of the motorcycle. Everything is basically placed above or below the engine/transmission unit, he heaviest single component of the motorcycle. The result is that Buell motorcycles feel exceptionally lively, nd a lively motorcycle is more fun to ride.

Unsprung weight is the weight of the components not supported by the suspension, rincipally the wheels, ires, ower fork legs, nd brakes. Lower unsprung weight allows the tires to maintain better contact with the uneven surface of the road, hus making for a safer, etter controlled, nd more enjoyable ride. Buell uses hollow 3-spoke alloy wheels of the lightest and most rigid type. For the Thunderbolt, uell uses expensive Showa inverted front forks. Inverted forks put the smaller diameter fork section on the bottom, hich lowers unsprung weight. They are also extremely strong, nd more rigid than conventional telescopic forks. Going further to eliminate as much unsprung weight as possible, he Thunderbolt has a single stainless steel floating front brake disc, ather than the dual discs found on almost all other specialty sport bikes. Brake discs and their associated calipers are very heavy. To ensure adequate swept area, hat single disc is the largest found on any production bike, 40mm in diameter. To make it lightweight while retaining the necessary thickness in cross section, t is extremely narrow in profile, nd to ensure an excess of stopping power, he Thunderbolt comes with a 6-piston front brake caliper. "Stoppies" are easy on a Buell. Other premium motorcycle manufacturers can and do take some of these same steps to lower unsprung weight, ut none combine all of these strategies as Buell does.

Almost everyone agrees that a rigid frame is crucial to precise handling and control. Buell selected the expensive but effective method of using chrome-moly alloy steel tubing to build a perimeter frame with triangulated sections. Buell calls it a "geodesic perimeter frame." In the best modern fashion, he engine serves as a stressed member of the frame. The result is an exceptionally light and stiff frame, hich improves handling and control. A bike that handles precisely and delivers exceptional control is more fun to ride.

The centralized mass, ow unsprung weigh, tiff frame, nd premium suspension, hen combined with a rather short 55 inch wheelbase and only 24.5 degrees of front-end rake, hould result in a light and quick handling motorcycle, nd indeed it does. You might think the same combination would also make for a twitchy feeling motorcycle, ut it doesn't. I expected, nd found, fast handling bike, ut what I found most surprising was the Thunderbolt's excellent static stability. Static stability means that left to its own devices, t will run straight. This is a bike that will run straight as a die with the rider's hands off the handlebar. I guess the 3.8 inches of trail has something to do with that. Whatever the reason, he bike responds quickly, andles superbly, nd runs true.

Of course, ore than trick engineering is necessary to build a complete motorcycle. The motor is the key to performance, nd all Buells use a highly modified Harley-Davidson Sportster V-twin engine. The hot-rodded 1203cc "Thunderstorm" power plant used in the Thunderbolt produces an ample 101 horsepower at the crankshaft, nd a gut wrenching 90 ft. lbs. of torque. This translates to about 71-78 ft. lbs. of torque and 85-90 hp. at the rear wheel, epending on whose dyno you read. Remember that horsepower is a measurement of work performed over time, nd torque is the turning force at the crankshaft (or rear wheel). This is why torque is more important in everyday riding. Torque is what is responsible for that slingshot feeling when you roll the throttle on, ot to mention those "power" wheelies.

The vibration produced by the compact 45 degree V-twin motor is isolated from the frame, nd the rider, y Buell's proprietary "Uniplanar" mounting system. This system works. It is amazing to ride a bike, owered by what is basically a Sportster 1200 engine, hat is so smooth. At idle it feels about like a Sportster, ut as the RPM increases, ibration diminishes. By the time the tach has moved past 3000 RPM, ibration is almost completely absent. The Sportster, s I wrote in my article "The Harley-Davidson Sportster," is quite pleasant to ride below about 60 MPH (in 5th gear). But vibration intrudes as speeds increase, nd becomes uncomfortable (to me) by about 70 MPH. But on its cousin, he Buell Thunderbolt, he faster you go the smoother it gets. At 70 MPH and above, t is uncannily smooth. It is hard to believe it is powered by a Sportster 1200 motor, et alone one producing about a third more power.

It seems to me that the Thunderbolt is a pretty good sport-touring bike, y which I mean a great sport bike for Sunday rides, ith its power and razor sharp handling, hat still has the capability of making overnight and longer trips. It has the range, peed, moothness, tability, omfortable seating position, nd available luggage to serve as a solo touring bike, lus the benefit of a very extensive dealer network should something go wrong while on the road (a good point to consider before purchasing some exotic brand sport-touring bike). Rider protection is the primary deficiency at present, ut all it needs is a properly designed touring windshield to bring it up to snuff in that area. I hope that someone, ither at Buell or in the aftermarket, ill eventually respond to fill this need.

If you want a sporty looking motorcycle for cheap transportation, here are more economical alternatives. But if you're leaning toward a sport or sport-touring bike, nd ride for the pleasure of the experience, ou owe it to yourself to at least test ride a Buell Thunderbolt.

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